In the Hands of a Stranger
by Agent Pumpkin
Summary: Who knew she'd have such a Merry Christmas in the hands of an utter stranger? It did strike her as slightly eerie, but how could she possibly refuse...? Merry Christmas Wishfulshippers!


**Hi guys. It's me, Jesspikapal, but I'm sure you already knew that! ;)**

**So anyways, here I am with my Secret Santa gift for SilentStormFall, who, granted, I don't know very well as I haven't spoken to her much, but I am more than stoked to write her a gift for Christmas. Also, on the topic of Christmas, some loyal reviewers can expect a little gift along the lines of being dedicated to them, though, because Christmas is so close, they may be a little belated. But I'll work my hardest to get them done as soon as I can and as good as I can in order to wish you loyal readers the best Christmas you could ask for. Oh, and although the theme is "Prom", it WILL be Christmas-sy! So please, bear with me! :D**

**But right now, this is SilentStormFall's present. I wish you a VERY merry Christmas and I hope you receive only the best on this special day. :)**

**I hope you enjoy it!**

**~Jess~**

**X x**

**Prom - "A prom is a prom, whether you decide to go or not. It's just funny that the people who no one seem to want to take to the legendary dance always seem to have the best of times..."**

**X x**

Proms were always depressing for Iris, since no one wanted to take a teenager who behaved like a wild animal to a formal dance. And the Christmas Prom that her small school of about twenty children in which they were hosting was no different. It wasn't fair - her wild tendancies were what made her _her_, yet it was never quite enough to grasp even the widest of attenion spans. So she liked to swing from trees, hollering at the top of her voice; so, she liked to forage endlessly for berries in the broad daylight in plain sight; so, she liked to sit amongst the wild bird pokemon and watch the moon shimmer across the earth generously, offering it's gentle light to anyone who happened to need it.

Iris firmly decided she would no longer let not going to a silly old prom get to her anymore and that was why she was sat outside on this snowy night, clad in nothing but her silky dragon robe and her soft welly-like slippers - fluffy and warm, yet tough and apparently out-dated. Around the outsides of the fine material of her robe, little dragon type pokemon flew in magical circles and the smaller ones - namely Axews and Deinos and such - sat curiously in nearby corners of the soft, lucious material.

She no longer anticipated invitations. They were childish; the question was posed only by kids and she would be equally kiddish to accept them, nevermind wish for them. Still, she wouldn't mind Jake asking her to the big occasion. But he found her too weird and her body wasn't "desirable enough".

"It's cold out tonight Axew..." She commented quietly in the snow-ridden air. Like a blizzard, the snow raged towards the ground angrily, though each snowflake seemed to have the time to greet Iris before it continued with it's hefty decent.

"Axew!" The pokemon chirruped in agreement, snuggling into the crook or Iris' arm, searching for the loving warmth his trainer had to offer. He found it seconds later after a little needless searching; it was always there afterall. The Christmas atmosphere was begining to settle more than any old prom could pull off and Iris was used to sitting alone on cold days (or nights) so the low temperature did little to bother her fiaxted demeanuer. The special day was only mere hours away...

"I know I said it was childish Axew," The violet haired teenager whipsered in the dark of night. "But I wouldn't mind being taken to a prom. By a very special guy. It'd sure be nice." Axew peered up at her curiously, cocking an invisible eyebrow at her wistful sentence. Who was he to understand? "I'd just like to go. To understand what it's like..." Iris finished, tilting her head in the direction of the falling snow. Christmas lights in her nearby village flickered indecisively in the distance: She never strayed _too _far from home!

"Axew Axe!" Axew suddenly yelled, jabbing a chubby set of claws in the direction of a tree. Iris, curious, followed her companions informitive point and spotted a distant shadow out of the corner of her eye. Yes, they were definitely there, whoever it was. Or whatever it was. Speaking of which, were they looking at her...? She couldn't tell, though she could see three or four curious flicks of what looked to be hair sat above where the forehead would be, given it was a person she was looking at. And if it _was _a person she was looking at, it was a rather tall, lean person she was looking at...

Now, Iris wasn't sure what to feel. Endless excitement that someone was passing her usually secluded pathway through the narrow trees of the village, or inexplicable fear as she watched them turn fully towards her and then begin slowly walking in the direction of her tree. The branches of her perch creaked ominously in the slow wind of the night, the snow now light as it fluttered to the ground softly, like cotton from an old plush toy.

"Hello?" A firm, masculine voice called out. It sounded strangely familiar, though Iris knew now from his definite outline as he approached her hiding place (that was no longer quite so hidden) that she had never met him in her life. From what she could see, he was wearing what looked to be a cloak around his shoulders and tough boots on his feet. As if to ruin his threatening appearence, she could vaguely see his hands coated by thick, wolly gloves; she secretly sighed a breath of relief. He wasn't quite so intimidating now!

She began to scramble down from the tree, her feet slipping on numerous occasions as she lost her footing on ice that had clung to the side of her perch in the cold atmosphere of the night. Vaguely, she contemplated running. But how far would she get? Not very, providing he could run as fast as his long legs screamed to be able to. She would have no chance, so she clung to her robe, stood clueless and searched for something to do. How did she even know he was talking to her?

"Excuse me!" He shouted once more, his melodious voice reaching her ears firmly this time.

"Me...?" She voiced timidly. He slowly nodded in response and Iris turned her body fully to face him, the callous wind blowing half-heartedly against her as she laid eyes upon the strangers face. As predicted even by his far-away shadow, he was tall and - if she'd be so inclined - lanky, his arms hanging limply beside his lean figure. His posture, straight and proper, made her smile; finally: A young man who knew how to present himself properly. As well as these said facts, he seemed to take the phrase "Dress to Impress!" literaly: Though his cloak and boots were scuffed and scruffy, the suit beneath said cloak was not. Just above his chest, sat a small green bowtie which, now she looked properly, matched his hair. Green, a strange colour for hair, but then again, so was purple...

"Uh... Hey..." Iris mumbled, slightly smitten by his handsome appearence. No, she was no where near infatuated - she'd only just met him! - but even she, the girl who wasn't fussed about the sexiest boys or the most attractive jocks, knew that the young man stood before her was good looking.

"Hello," He greeted warmly. "You wouldn't happen to know in which point of your village I'm at, hmm?"

"You're on the out-skirts over here. If you're headed for the Elders, you ought to head back towards the centre of the village." Shouldn't this fact be obvious? But maybe his system worked differently. It didn't look possible for him to be from a small village or town when he looked that fancy and flamboyant. He must've been from a city, no doubt.

"Oh no, I'm just passing through." He informed her, before extending a hand. "Cilan."

She inspected his pale hands and then drew in a breath, slowly agreeing to his out-stretched hand, taking his palm with hers. Well, his glove-clad palm in hers.

"Iris." She told him with a smile. He also smiled, though whether he was merely being polite or whether it was genuine, she wasn't sure. The light seemed to reach his eyes though so maybe...

"Ah, a pretty name." He grinned and she began to worry. Had she mis-judged his formal appearence? Was he just another perverse boy on the streets? "Like the sweet scented flower. Hmm, may I ask what such a fine lady is doing out on her own this time of night? I've heard it's not safe to be out at night, especially for the women."

"I'm not a woman!" She protested before she could stop herself, her frustration getting the better of her. Now she was in for it; she felt silly already. To her upmost suprise, he chuckled, rather than gaining an offended expression on his face.

"It's rare I meet a young lady who's so self assured. Consider me corrected." Cilan replied in a soft tone.

"Alright," She breathed. "Sorry about that. I just get... Angry." She told him, though she had no idea _why _she was doing so. He had no business in knowing _her _business. Yet, she felt a strong urge to tell someone about her upset. Because, as said before, though she found proms childish (self proclaimed), it still hurt that she felt not good enough to be taken to a measly dance. The snow, on the term of atmospheric values, had now gently ceased, the white powder now a thick layer on the ground. Her feet, covered by only her fuzzy dragon slippers, were begining to get cold.

"Not a problem." He responded, shuffling lightly on his feet. "Iris?"

She hadn't heard her name being spoken in such a gentle way before. Mainly it was merely for people to yell at her and tease her about... Whatever they felt like teasing her about. Her hair, her clothing, her imperfect looks, you name it, it was tease-worthy in some way or form.

"Yes?"

"Forgive me if I'm wrong but... Wasn't there a dance organised by your school to be in the centre of town? I mean, I presume it's your school because-" But he was interrupted by Iris, who was looking aggitated.

"It's the only school in the village." She growled curtly, leaving him to fall silent. She then shook her head lightly and smiled. "But yes, there is a dance going on in the centre of town."

"And you're not there?"

"No."

"Why ever not?"

Should she even be talking to this stranger by nightfall? He could be dangerous. He could be trouble for her and her village. But something about him was calling about to her; maybe it was his spirit; Angus, the male leader of her small village, had spoken non-stop about spiritual values and how you can determine a person's personality providing you learn to read spiritual vibes correctly. Was she doing that? Either that, or she had somehow, in the space of five to ten minutes, grown attached to his pleasant company, which was stupid and immature of her anyway.

"...I didn't want to. I didn't want to go." Iris lied. Cilan raised a thin eyebrow, but said nothing, only tightened his cloak around his neck.

"That's a shame. Well, I'd best be going. I'm sorry if I caused you any disruption. It was most pleasant to meet you. Goodnight Iris and thank you for the information." Cilan told her sweetly, his eyes screaming honesty as she fumbled with her fingers guiltily.

"Goodnight..." She mumbled, watching him disappear into the weak forrestation just opposite her. She had lied to the only polite person she'd ever met. Well, speaking along the lines of honesty, her school life wasn't actually that bad, give or take a couple of narcissitic characters who were too arrogant to know even the first thing about her, other than her name and her flaws. By some empowering force, she felt herself follow his footsteps that were clearly indented into the once untouched layer of snow residing lowly on the floor. She was careful not to make a sound as she followed him.

Wandering through the not-so-dense forest, she could hear the bird pokemon crooning throatily in the dark air. Should she call him? She could vaguely see him ahead of her, though she was still debating whether or not she should really go through with following him. Even in her admiration, would he find it strange like the other people would? She felt slightly safer as a nearby tree moaned in the now slow breeze that dwindled within the midnight air. A smile eased across her face as she gathered her courage and called, like nature in the spring.

"Cilan!"

Iris saw the figure ahead of her freeze. Then, slowly yet surely, he turned around. What was this stranger doing to her? _He's a stranger, he's a stranger, he's a stranger... And yet I'm following him through the woods. Nice work Iris..._

"Iris?" He called back, stopping his coy shuffle backwards completely. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to tell you that... I lied. I lied Cilan." She frowned as she arrived in front of him.

"What?" He asked, clearly confused.

"About going to the dance. I lied. I didn't go, because I wasn't asked..." She trailed, embarrassed. Why on earth had she stopped him on his way to tell him that? Why had she gone after him and chased him - practically - through a dark set of woods (no matter how deep) to admit a mistake? She knew why really: Because he had been nothing but polite and gentlemanly to her, and it didn't feel right to be so rude as to lie to him in return.

"But..." She thought he was going to yell at her. She thought he was going to get upset and tell her what he really thought about her. She even thought for a moment that he would question as to why she came at all! But suprisingly, what he said next made her want to giggle almost. "But it's nearly Christmas! It's one hour till Christmas! You need to go to the dance!"

"Why?" She asked cluelessly.

"Because it's Christmas!" He cried, suddenly looking upset.

"Cilan, I didn't get invited. I can't go without a... Partner." She hesitated, choosing her words more carefully. She didn't want to be so childish as to use the word "Date". It wasn't practical, and it made her look shallow, especially from this gentleman's perspective. "But, to tell you that wasn't the only reason I followed you. I came to give you this. In my village, it's a tradition to get people a gift when you've been bad to them or done them wrong. Lying is wrong and since I have no gift, I'll give you these instead." She told him sternly, reaching into her robe pocket and pulling out a small pouch. Cilan, looking more curious than anything, slowly took the pouch and peeked inside, then retracted speedily.

"Iris, I can't take these! They're rare berries. Very rare!" Cilan protested.

"Which is why I'm giving them to you. You are a very kind gentleman and I was selfish. I lied to you. I'm sorry Cilan." Iris retorted, bowing her head and not accepting the bag as he pushed it back towards her. So, with a smile, he pocketed the items.

"Well, I won't take them without some sort of repayment." He grinned, intelligence flickering in his dark green eyes. A most vibrant shade of green, much more alive than the tint of his bow-tie or his hair; much smarter and much better. By a long shot!

"But I didn't sell them to you." She whispered. "I _gave _them to you."

"Not with money." He continued to grin, making Iris grow worried. He wasn't possibly saying that... "How about, I take you to the dance?"

"Cilan!" She gasped, unable to stop herself as her eyes began to shimmer with sentiments. "But, there's no invitation. You didn't write an invitation." She responded meekly, though her heart was filled to the brim with glee. Though he was an utter stranger to her, she wouldn't have loved to go with anyone more than him. And _that _was silly of her, but she couldn't help the way she felt. She'd always been one for down-to-earth, lovable people and Cilan was both, as well as kind-hearted, generous and completely in the good of others. Why hadn't she met him sooner?

"But I do have an invitation." He smirked, getting down on one knee and taking her hand. "Iris, it would give me only the greatest pleasure," He paused, catching her wonderstruck eyes sincerely. "if you would allow me to take you to the dance. I would be most delighted to accompany you this Christmas."

"Cilan, I barely know you..." She started doubtfully.

"And yet you gave me accurate directions." He butted in, determination flashing across his face.

"That's different." She argued. She didn't want to be difficult, but she couldn't shake the feeling of cliche scaling the back of her neck, curling it's dumb fingers around her, possessing her control like a lifeless puppet. But still, Cilan there was very hard to resist with his charming antics and his perserverence...

"You gave me these." He motioned to the bag.

"Because I lied."

"You could've gotten away with it." This sentence made Iris freeze. It was true, she could've. But she had had enough pride and decency to go back after him and confess the truth. She had been brave enough to do that and her confession was in no way concealed by meaningless words and stutterings to try and gain sympathy. Just a plain and simple apology and confession; it couldn't really get any more formidable than that and her efforts were most definitely not wasted.

"Well... What can I say...?" She shrugged bashfully.

"Say yes." He answered her rhetorical question hopefully, the smile on his face endearingly soft and gentle. How could she refuse him when he was looking at her like that? It seemed adoration, for some reason, was a main trait on his face as he peered up at her as if she was the most fragile thing in the world. And perhaps her feelings were; they'd been thrown around and messed with too many times for her to count! Maybe Cilan, as cliche and sloppy as it sounded, was like the angel she'd wished for so many times at night. Y'know, that golden boy who no one else seems to like except the person who wished so hard to meet him?

"...Fine then." She grinned. "Yes. I'll go with you. Written invitation or not." With that sentence, he smirked a confident smirk, making Iris grin too. It was funny that he would seem to be both the most polite young man she'd ever met and yet, he was probably the most dangerous too, though any signs of that danger were not visible quite yet. She actually hopd they didn't exist.

"Perfect..."

**X x**

"This isn't the dance. At least, not where everyone else is."

"I wanted to make your first and only dance special. Trust me." Cilan smiled, tightening his grip on her hand slightly as he led her over some over-growth. She grinned gratefully, before she stumbled and was caught by Cilan.

"Whoops." He teased as she averted his gaze. He straightened her and the pair began to walk once more.

They arrived in a small clearing in which Iris had never seen before. At least, if he did end up being trouble (which she now highly doubted due to his most pleasing escort there), here had a nice scenary. He seemed to have noticed the wonderstruck yet worried expression flit across her young face.

"Oh, you've never come here before? The scenary, as you can probably see, is most exquisite. The armona is..." And then he seemed to mumble in a forbidden tangent, though his hands were flapping minutely by his sides as he performed gestures and such.

"Aren't those words used for food?" Iris questioned innocently, a bright yet curious smile printed firmly across her lips. He met her eyes and then nodded slowly.

"It's a habit I have." He murmured under his breath, though it was loud enough for Iris to hear. She smiled slightly. "I'm trying to... Get out of it." He tried to pursuade her, though his eyes fell immediately back towards the ground which was covered with soft snow, yet it seemed to be like the finest wool rather than the ice-cold mixture of grass and freezing water.

"Can I just ask you a question?" She pondered as she watched him closely.

"Of course." He smiled as he waited for her to continue. She did:

"Without sounding rude and whatnot... Cilan, how old are you?" Iris finished, peering up at him, praying inwardly that he wouldn't take offence. Well, she couldn't understand _why _he would take offence, but she'd met a few people who she'd asked that - out of mere curiosity - and they had become angry or even scoffed at her and walked away, leaving her to wonder what she did wrong. She _still _didn't see it.

"Seventeen." Cilan replied. Iris blinked, suprised that he was so willing to answer. He seemed to catch onto her slightly bewildered expression. "Is... Something wrong?"

"Oh no, no, no!" Iris cried, waving her hands in front of her face in what looked to be a defensive gesture. "I'm just used to people taking offence at the question, that's all." She finished bashfully, rubbing the back of her neck as her Axew popped out and ran to bury himself in the snow, silently playing amongst the other night pokemon.

"Axew!" The small pokemon laughed as he found a lone Pidove and began to chase it.

So not quite "silently", but-

"Ah, I see. Let them be. They're just too sensitive for their own good." He grinned, slowly offering her a hand. She turned and eyed it curiously and then smiled a weak smile, taking the fingers firmly in hers eventually as he waited patiently for her to do so. He led her into the middle of the clearing and then looked cautious, before he placed a careful hand on her waist, seemingly hesitant to do so. Iris felt like laughing; why, when he obviously knew how to dance lest he wouldn't have invited her to dance with him, was he ever so cautious?

"It's alright." She smiled, placing a sturdy hand on his shoulder and he smiled lightly, before tightening his grip ever so slightly. She nodded in confirmation.

"Sorry there's no music. Hmm, that's something I didn't think about..." Cilan mumbled, looking down dejectedly at the floor, the snow hugging their shoes (in Iris' case, slippers) softly.

"That's where you're wrong." Iris smirked, leaving Cilan to raise his eyebrows inquisitively.

"Explain." He replied whole-heartedly, eager for knowledge.

"Listen to the nature." She told him, before she fell shy. "I-I mean-"

"I know what you mean. It's beautiful." He told her, his voice quiet like the once falling snow. Cautiously she let him twirl her in a slow circle. When she was pulled against him, she could smell his scent; she wasn't quite sure what it was, but it was most pleasant. She ended up taking a huge inhale deliberately and then got embarrassed when he smiled at her and chuckled. Their feet, a blur of movement, swayed in time to the music that only the two seemed to hear, the wind and trees writhing uncertainly to the silent music. Silent music; what an odd term.

"Iris, why do you try to hide?" Cilan questioned as he could feel the time slipping by without a word spoken.

"I don't. At least, I don't think-" But Cilan gently interrupted her by placing a pale finger over her lips. Iris noticed only then, how pale his complextion compared to hers was.

"I don't think you realise it. Hush now. Forget I ever asked and dance with me." He ordered softly, his voice like the smoothest of silks that made Iris blush ever so slightly. She cleared her throat awkwardly and dipped underneath his arm as he span her around. She felt safe and secure, not only because he was gentle with her - the gentlest she'd ever seen a male behave - but because of his height. Most of the men or boys in her village were small as they weren't very adventurous due to the village's strict rules about whereabouts. They were not allowed to supass the border of town, though Iris was never stupid enough to get caught.

As they danced, the quiet pair heard a cheer in the distance. Iris grinned and allowed him to pull her close, her back to his front as his arm was loosely around her waist. Who knew she could feel so secure in the hands of a stranger?

"Merry Christmas Iris..." Cilan whispered in her ear tenderly. So _that's _what the crowd were cheering for? Of course! She felt dense as she looked down at the floor. She felt his free hand touch hers, though his fingers still felt too far away as they weren't touching hers. How could she feel so strongly for a person she'd met that day? That _night?_! That very night!

"Merry Christmas Cilan..." Iris replied, unable to stop herself from giggling a cute little giggle. He grinned and slowly stepped away from her. "So," She started again. "Where are you heading?"

"To Striaton City. To go home." He answered, a fond smile across his face.

"Cilan, will I ever see you again?" Iris couldn't keep herself from asking. She wouldn't of minded at all if he'd wanted to stay. But of course, his own business called ahead of a girl he'd met that night. He'd treated her like she was made of glass and she liked that, though she wished he'd enforce himself a little bit more. It seemed even the most charming of boys and young men still had a ways to go!

"You may. I hope so. Tonight was a pleasure Iris. Allow to escort you home? And, if need be, explain to the Elders that you were safely in the hands of your _invite-ee_." He stressed the word, smirking. She grinned deviously, far past caring about the kinds of trouble they could get into.

"I'd like that." She continued to grin as he carefully linked arms with her, his back erect and his free arm straight by his sides as they re-traced their sodden footsteps through the night, their feet sinking into the fresh snow that blanketed the earth kindly.

Who knew she'd have the best night of her life in the hands of a stranger?

**X x**

**Done! I hope you enjoyed it SilentStormFall! It was a pleasure to write and I wish you only the merriest of Christmases! :)**

**~Jess~**


End file.
